Biomedical Engineering

The Biomedical Engineering blog is the place for conversation and discussion about topics related to engineering principles of the medical field. Here, you'll find everything from discussions about emerging medical technologies to advances in medical research. The blog's owner, Chelsey H, is a
graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) with a degree in Biomedical
Engineering.

How Cold Affects You- Part 1

Ok, I'm going to be honest: I don't like the winter. Even
growing up in upstate New York, I have never really learned to cope with bitter
temperatures or drive in the snow. I bundle myself up until I look like a
marshmallow and I still freeze as I run from my house to the car (which has
already been started to warm it up!).

Image
Credit: iStockphoto

But as a biomedical engineer I was thinking about the
benefits and dangers of being out in the cold…maybe I've been missing the
secret rewards of spending time in the cold, OR maybe I am totally justified in
staying inside during the winter with a cup of something hot. I did a little
research and found a significant amount of material supporting both decisions.
I present them to you in two parts, so you can decide if you're going to stay
in or venture outside this winter.

Yes, Cold Can Be A
Good Thing

Exercise
recovery- A study
published in December 2011 monitored nine well-trained runners over three
non-adjoining weeks as they performed exercises meant to induce muscle damage
(a simulated trail run on a treadmill). Each of the athletes were then tested on one
of three recovery modalities, including whole-body cryotherapy (WBC). WBC
sessions were administered in a specially built, temperature controlled unit
and consisted of exposure to very cold air that was maintained at -110°C to -140°C for 3-4 minutes. The athletes were given a test that consisted of extending
their knee "as fast and as hard as possible." The cryotherapy recovery method had the best
and fastest results, allowing the athlete to perform the full extension one
hour after the workout. The main benefit of cold for muscle recovery is the
vasoconstriction that limits the vessel's inflammatory processes and reduces muscle
pain.

Apparently her face is frozen like that. Image Credit: Kelly West AMERICAN-STATESMAN

Shaking the blues-
Studies
have been done observing the effects of cold water on patients with depression.
Cold exposure is known to activate the sympathetic nervous system and increase
the level of beta-endorphin and noradrenaline levels in the blood and the
release of noradrenaline in the brain. The high level of cold receptors in the
skin causes a large amount of electrical impulses delivered from peripheral nerve endings
to the brain, relieving inflammation and also resulting in an anti-depressive
effect. There are several types of hydrotherapies that have demonstrated
positive effects on people suffering from depression.

Good for your
waist line- Thermogenesis is the process of heat production in warm-blooded
animals. Cold-induced thermogenesis and diet-induced thermogenesis are related
by the activation of brown adipose tissue, which serves as the thermogenic
organ. Brown adipose
tissue transfers energy from food to heat, and when this occurs heat is
produced and metabolic efficiency is decreased. A study
done in 2009 suggests that an increase in brown adipose tissue is related to
energy metabolism, so the more brown adipose tissue you have the higher your
metabolism is. And this tissue can be activated by cold temperatures as
moderate as 61°F.
Exposure to cold isn't a diet option yet…but shivering can burn around 400
calories an hour. Since your body uses a significant amount of the heat
generated by cold weather exercise to warm and humidify the air you
breathe in, and you tend to carry more clothing with you, more calories can be
burned by exercising in colder weather.

Image
Credit:citysportsblog.com

Increase energy
and well-being- The first blast of cold water or gust of cold air does send
an invigorating surge through your body. It's a similar principle to shaking
the blues: the electrical impulses sent to the brain from the skin "wakes up"
the brain to reduce stress and re-energize. Cold can also causes a spike in
norepinephrine, a chemical that has been linked to pain suppression. A cold pack
will usually do the trick, but cryotherapy is used to treat pain and
inflammation from rheumatic and other conditions in countries like Japan. People from Finland and Russia swear by their cold water swims.

Image
Credit: somi.org

So maybe a plunge in a frigid lake isn't the worst thing
in the world for you (not that you'll see me doing it anytime soon) and maybe
strapping sticks to your feet and hurling yourself down a mountain (also known
as skiing) can have some positive effects…..but cold has its dangers too.

Re: How Cold Affects You- Part 1

Re: How Cold Affects You- Part 1

01/10/2012 1:58 AM

This is from the Department of Paramangled Science.When it says "Studies have shown...also resulting in an anti depressive effect" what the actual text of the study quoted says is "...which could result in an anti-depressive effect." In any case, the study is totally lacking in proof of this supposed effect. Indeed, the summary includes the sentence "Practical testing by a statistically insignificant number of people, who did not have sufficient symptoms to be diagnosed with depression, showed that the cold hydrotherapy can relieve depressive symptoms rather effectively." How one derives a valid result from a test which is based on a statistically insignificant number of the wrong population will remain a mystery.

Re: How Cold Affects You- Part 1

01/10/2012 5:16 AM

Don't let the facts spoil a good story.
Lets give all the mentally ill ice cold baths and electro convulsive therapy... Oh whoops, we've moved on from there, but hey, what goes around comes around.
Del

__________________
health warning: These posts may contain traces of nut.

Re: How Cold Affects You- Part 1

01/10/2012 9:39 AM

Winter up here is the Best damn thing ever invented....... hot lingering saunas followed by a dive into the snow = BP 110/75, HR 62bpm.....no severe colds or flu (except for H1N1....that was scary) and some say it helps their fibromyalgia.

I suppose one becomes acclimatized to the climate they live in. I, for one, do not do well in hot or tropical climes.

The adulteration of oil can be no more serious than passing off inferior, but safe, product as superior olive oil, but there are no guarantees. It is believed that almost 700 people died as a consequence of consuming rapeseed oil adulterated with aniline intended for use as an industrial lubricant, but sold in 1981 as olive oil in Spain (see toxic oil syndrome).>>